Dakota Tech to open new soccer complex

Artist conception of new DCTC Soccer Complex

How many of you knew that Dakota County Technical College has a soccer team? Not only do they have a soccer team, called the Blue Knights, they also offer scholarships. Really! I had no idea. Also, there are D-1, D-2 and D-3, 2-year colleges.  DCTC is a D-1, 2-year school and offers 16 partial scholarships. Yes, they used to be called Junior colleges but I’ve been told that 2-year colleges is the new PC terminology. However, these 2-year colleges really fill the gap for some student athletes. I’ll have more on that in another post.

I’ve recently been in contact with Cam Stoltz, head coach of the mens and women’s program at DCTC. Stoltz was formerly assistant soccer coach at Minnesota State University-Mankato. The 2009 college soccer season will be the first time the Blue Knights get to play real home games. The Ames Soccer Complex at Dakota County Technical College is scheduled to open next summer in time for next season’s training camp. The complex will be a state of the art, soccer only facility and give DCTC one of the most modern and complete college soccer facilities in the nation.

 With three full size fields including a championship game field, DCTC will be able to practice and play within hundreds of feet of the college. The complex will be lit for prime-time games, the main field will have grandstand seating, concessions, athletic training, and a press box and soccer office that overlooks the fields.

“This is everything a program could want in a campus setting. This is a long time dream come true”, said coach Cam Stoltz, who remembers when the concept and effort to bring fields to campus began back in 2002 when the soccer program was launched. “The new soccer fields will take our program to the next level.”  In six previous seasons of soccer at DCTC, students had to commute off campus to numerous local parks for practice and games. The Knights would often squeeze training in between class and the mid afternoon so the local kids could get their game in before dark.

The Ames Soccer Complex is a joint project of the City of Rosemount and DCTC. There are three full-sized adult soccer fields that can be subdivided into six youth soccer fields in the spring and summer. DCTC is providing 10 acres of land and student projects to the effort; the city is providing construction funding and annual maintenance while Ames Construction of Burnsville donated in-kind service to help complete the facility.